2018-02-25

Western Elites Shocked as CCP Acts in Self-Interest

"Especially in the period from 2020 to 2035, which is a crucial stage for China to basically realize socialist modernization, China and the CPC need a stable, strong and consistent leadership. So removal of the section of the clause about the presidency in the Constitution is serving the most important and fundamental national interest and the Party's historic mission," Su said.

In a two-stage development plan of China, drawn up by President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the first stage is "from 2020 to 2035" which is "to see that socialist modernization is basically realized"; and the second stage from "2035 to the middle of the 21st century," China will develop "into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful."

Chinese reform efforts were thwarted by various party factions, local governments and the risk of triggering a major financial crisis or recession. All of those risks could generate political risk.

“Trump, Brexit, the rise of the extreme right and left again in polities throughout the democratic world … made domestic Chinese politics even more fixated on stability and on avoiding any kind of uncertainty and risk,” Brown said. “Xi is the symbolic figure at the centre of this, the person whose leadership everything hangs on.”

Xi has the power now. Whether he reforms or uses it to retrench CCP control over the economy is anyone's guess. If the former, then this is part of China's long path of reform. If the latter, then it will eventually cause an economic setback.

China's political decision doesn't look out of place from a historic viewpoint. Mao had no term limits. The reform era was launched by Deng and instituted term limits. But if a party based on equality is to maintain political control, it must eventually devolve into dictatorship, or in the case of China, secure it. The other path is loss of control, eventually leading to a chaotic period and then dictatorship. China chose stability, again.